BreadKing - M Mall

Had my first taste of Bread King's sausage bun and yummy donuts at their E-Gate branch .

At the time , we were hungry yet in such a rush , so we ate one of each on the spot and raved over how divinely soft and scrumptious they were . Following day , we decided to takeaway more items , but by the time we got back , the flavour had sort of changed a little bit . Which was not only disappointing but also caused me to

 think of their products as grossly overpriced unless one managed to get them hot from the oven .

As I can't be staking out their premise all the time , the dining option at M Mall is exactly up my alley .

Nope , I'm not talking about the bakery , rather , it's the existence of an open kitchen that's got me all excited .

Prepared fresh and served piping hot with quality ingredients one would expect to come out of a 5 star hotel instead of a mall bakery , this certainly isn't our first visit .

We're back for the Mushroom Soup Set served with a whole loaf of garlic bread that is still warm by the time it gets to our table , I swear that this is as good as French pumpkin soup .

Maneki-neko murals at Mall ' s Cafe - Prangin tomyam paradise on level 3

Somehow , Southern Thai tomyam seems to smell and taste better when served within air conditioned premises .

There's no way you are not going to get your appetite worked up when you pass by the shop . The aroma is enough to floor you .

That's how , even though Prangin Mall seems to be on the decline after the exit of their anchor tenant , the 4 main tomyam players on the 3rd floor , still manage to draw in all of us sadistic makan freaks .

I'll show you the first outlet . My personal favourite.

1. Mall's Cafe .

The ahbeng ahlian chop shop where I once scoffed at a Korean guy who popped in but was so shocked when he drank up every last bit of the soup without breaking a sweat .

Respect !

Was surprised to see that they now serve their tomyam maggi in nicer ceramic Maneki - neko bowls . Not only that , the entire shop is filled with Lucky Cat murals too .

Dinner at Bella Italia

Long , long time ago , there was this Italian who asked me if I had any favourite Italian dishes .

Naive as I was , I mentioned Pizza Hut . He roared so loud with laughter and then proceeded to admonish and correct me very gently that Pizza Hut was Americano then in the next breath , insisted that I when I had the means , I had to go visit Italy one day ( which I did eventually ) , as they had the best food in the world . 

Sardinia was mentioned but I never got round to doing that as I am and always will prefer the megacity loop. 

One day maybe I will get round to doing just that .

Anyway , it took the last trip for me to finally "get it" .

That real Italian cooking is indeed delicious , not plain or odd .

After learning how to appreciate their cuisine , that in itself presents another problem . I am no gazillionaire so thank gawd there are expats who can whip up something close to that, near my tramping ground .

In that retrospect , I find myself growing more and more fond of what is dished out at Bella Italia down in Bellisa Row , the reason for this post .

Tonight is the first time we're enjoying dinner here and I notice that there is at least one diner who took pains to dress up .

We ask for the customary pizza . Not the usual Quatro but a Pepperoni pizza this time . The base is so scrumptious I find myself slowly turning my nose up at American pizzas nowadays .

Because he was more in the mood for something different , we did exactly that and ordered an Antipasto .

Buttery button mushrooms , lightly smoked generous slices of salmon wrapped around lettuce with a wedge of lemon dangling on top , two very fresh and juicy mussels baked in cheese and mouthwatering tomato paste , ham , baked eggplant layers , more vegies and chicken ....I tell you what , if you love their Quatro Pizza as much as I do , this is like having part of it on a plate . 

Delightful sample pieces yet won't burn a big hole in your pocket .

CRC Penang - small table in a big restaurant

It's a big restaurant and we're such a small party of people that I'm really worried if we're gonna be ignored . 

So we decided to arrive early .....like really , really , really early and yes , since we were so obviously visible , the kepala ( head ) of the ladies squad personally attended to us . Phew !

Still possible to get a 3 to 4 course meal under RM 39 in Penang

Over the course of 5 days , we visited 2 popular chu cha outlets .... Thiam Seng near Juru and Kiam Hooi just outside  Georgetown .

 Tastewise , Thiam Seng and Kiam Hooi may be world's apart. However price wise , these two can put a smile on anybody's wallet .

In these 2 places , we did not spend more than RM 39 ( drinks not included ) 

From a hygiene point of view , don't look over at the kitchen area of Kiam Hooi and don't say I didn't warn you that the crowd is a little rough over at Thiam Seng .

Have no pictures for our delicious 4 course meal at Kiam Hooi , but just so you know , we had Belacan Chicken , miniature lala fried in taucheo beans and cili padi , a portion of plain fried green bayam as well as one double boiled soup . Yummy yum yum !

Below is the 3 course meal we had at Thiam Seng .

Soft pork ribs , in house tofu , a large portion of salted fish vermicelli .

Antics of the middle eastern female tourist in Penang

Arab tourist season is supposed to be long over already , yet today , I witnessed one of the most amazing sights in my life .

This girl was given the liberty to drive around the island in their rental car with her loved ones and her exuberant excitement was so apparent and infectious I just have to tell you about it .

She smiled so wide , grinning from ear to ear , completely enthralled by this precious moment we all take for granted .

Din Tai Fung - Gurney Plaza

Have put off coming here for months already . 

Well , we finally took the plunge today but alas I have no extra pics to prove that we tucked in at this outlet , because my phone was er ...overtaxed and undercharged .

Thus you will have to make do with just one photo ( updated with photos as we went back a 2nd time ) of this house speciality , the starter ....a kelp, tofu , beansprout and glass noodle pickle which tasted so Taiwanese , I wore a puzzled look on my face till I checked out their facebook page . Which is laughable because I assumed from the set up that Din Tai Fung was Hongkie in origin .

No , Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese restaurant with fine dining Chinese cuisine that will knock you off your feet , you Alishan bumpkin you ( I'm talking about me ) !

Bella Italia

Now aren't we glad we have a clutch of all time favourite expat restaurateurs on the island , especially when travel nowadays means more risk than pleasure .

 To rekindle the cosy little Italian diner experience , I can think of no place better than Bella Italia on Bellisa Row .

Hong Kee Wan Thun Mee - bamboo kungfu for ultra springy wantan mee

Update : the problem with this operator is , it can be quite unhygienic . There , I've said it . If you go please make sure you either keep your eyes wide open or half shut .

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Was very direct with the noodle man , when I saw him .

" I've been waiting for you for a really long time to resurface already "

( they were the original hawkers at the formerly famous corner kopitiam called Yi Garden Cafe on Macalister Road , you see )

Yoshinoya Hanamaru - Gurney Plaza

If you didn't know that they've been open for a month already , well , you'd better get a move on down because , I don't know about you , but even though I think it is probably halal , the meals are quite satisfying to me !

Kim Poh Roasted Chicken & Duck Rice - Golden Triangle

In Penang , it is common knowledge that there is a coded number for ordering a combo of roasted meats at the local roaster .

You let the order taker know you want a 3 or a 4 in Hokkien , and then something like this will arrive at your table . Without costing you an arm and a leg at a swankier joint , this platter of roasted pork , chicken and duck comes with a price tag of less than 20 ringgit . 

Hong La Jiao Steamboat - deadly , very deadly

Though we arrived close to midnite , the restaurant was running full  .

Open till 4.30 am , I consider this a necessary service that caters to the many hungry night owls in Georgetown who otherwise would have to make do with the same ole boring mamak or fastfood .

New ckt sifu in town

Found a new evening ckt place in town and to me, it is nothing short of amazing .

The saltier , spicier type of ckt that makes your saliva thicken and curdle ....regular ckt fans will get my drift .

Only one flaw , the intriguing looking chef with light eyebrows, is a one man operating show, who doesn't seem to be able to cope if more people turn up . 

Nasi Kandar Imigresen

 Is there ever a bad plate of nasi kandar to be found in Penang ?

Yes and no .

Depends on your preference really . Some places serve dishes that are oiler and greasier than the rest , some can make you instantly fat in one plate ( I'm not kidding , I avoid those places like the plague ) and then there's the old school type ....reminiscent of those who migrated down to KL and set up shop around the old Batu Road area ....

Nasi Kandar Imigresen .

( these days , they use commercial curry powders so purists....walk the other way )

Best Porridge - new chu cha place in town

From the shop name , we thought we'd come across a new Teochew Moi place where a big variety of dishes to go with plain boiled rice porridge , are the order of the day .

So there we are looking at the food on display in the glass case when 2 ladies coax us into entering by showing us the chu cha menu .

Yosakoi Parade - Penang 2016

If you were there when the event kicked off , you would have wandered right smack into these cutie pies from the Japanese community living in Malaysia , carrying a mini Mikoshi , a sedan for carrying deities between Shinto shrines .

Come , see the fountain on Codrington Avenue

Glued onto a spotted signboard near the traffic lights in Bayan Baru ,just before a hospital , I sometimes wonder why our society acts so prudish , when signs such as this , ,seem to indicate otherwise .

Soon to be a privileged view

The stretch of beach along Bayan Bay is quite a sight . Waters are shallow and there's a cluster of fish farms next to Jerejak Island . Years ago , I put a hand held fish net in and to my surprise , caught some fine krill .

However , this is how Penang is developing today . 

The view is just as stunning but I seriously will not dip my foot in that dirty water.

The botak hill has attained an hour glass shape and while the rest of the importees will argue that progress is good , to board up a beautiful view such as this is just plain wrong .

Update : today's The Star newspaper carries this article. Defelle definitely fell for the bait . 

www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2015/12/23/project-okayed-this-year-not-2013/

The apartment next door that beat a whole shopping complex

Each Christmas and Chinese New Year , I always look forward to the seeing this apartment block on Kelawei Road , all decked out for the festive season .

Sum Sook Restaurant - Bukit Tengah

 Based on how unappetizing this dish looked ,we really never expected the unlikely combo of sweet sharp lime sauce and tofu that's been deep fried till so dry, it looks all wrong , could turn out to be  winner .

This plate of Kerabu Tauhu just proved that. So addictive that after the first careful nibble , we began fighting over it.